Business is a breeze | White industry gets break | New law Oct. 31

Business owners in New York City often gripe about how difficult it is to survive here. But take it with a grain of salt. In an editor's note, Jeremy Smerd writes that it's hard to imagine a better time in the city's history to be a business owner.

"You can make money in so many different ways," said Ryan Harwood, founder and CEO of PureWow, a fast-growing online women's lifestyle publisher. "You place a survivor and a hustler in the middle of New York City, they're going to figure out how to make a living."

Read more here. And if you're an entrepreneur, post a comment about doing business in the Big Apple.

It seems rational for government to intervene when an industry lacks diversity. But when New York state offers a tax break for a very white industry to diversify, isn't it rewarding executives who for years did not do the right thing on their own?

That is certainly not how the Independent Democratic Conference views a bill it passed to increase the number of female and minority television writers, and which it is now trying to get Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign. Miriam Kreinin Souccar reports.

Employers, get ready for a change

Starting Oct. 31, employers in the city may no longer ask job applicants about their salary history. New York City businesses might not have appreciated the change, but they will need to take action to prepare for it, beginning with revising their employment applications, writes labor attorney Kevin Shehan in an op-ed. Read his advice here.

Crain’s New York Business is the trusted voice of the New York business community—connecting businesses across the five boroughs by providing analysis and opinion on how to navigate New York’s complex business and political landscape.